White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said he’s confidence that US and China will reach a trade deal by March 1 deadline. He said in a CNN interview that “Yes, I am confident that it can happen, that the talks are moving forward”.
And, “There’s a lot of progress to be made but it’s a very strong situation right now. And I think the Chinese recognize that they’ve got a big potential gain for coming up with a deal because as you mentioned their growth has really fallen off the cliff.”
Also, Hassett talked down the risk of government shut down on credit rating. He said “I don’t think a downgrade is in play … I don’t think that there’s any risk at all, given how strong the economy is, that we will be downgraded.”